2026 Spring Update…

Mom and Dad managed a couple of quick trips this spring, but other than that we have all been working and somewhat relaxing. This last weekend was probably the last we will see of spring because it’s predicted to start heating up now that we are headed into May. Hopefully though, we will get some rain as we are in a drought in NC… down about 8-10″ from our normal precipitation and they have already started water restrictions. Sam and Mom have been working hard in the yard, moving plants around and getting ready for the everything to start blooming. We promise to get some new photos up when that does happen. Sam has dives planned in June and July and we are going to the Asheville area in June to do some quick hikes and take a few photos.

Mom and Dad made a short day trip up to DC to see the Cherry blossoms. The last time we all went together as a family and it was Easter weekend – not something we would ever do again. This time, there were still a lot of tourists but it was much more manageable. The weather was pretty chilly and rainy in the morning, but by afternoon it was mostly sunny.

Mom and Dad made a short trip down the coast with a short stop off in Folly Beach, South Carolina and then on to Cumberland Island, GA to visit a National Park with wild horses and ruins of a Victorian mansion owned by the Carnegie’s. Mom, of course added to her shell collection and they put in about 8 miles hiking on the day.

Dad made a quick trip up to the Corporate office and got to meet the CEO of the company (she of course, just announced her retirement today) and for his birthday he got a new bread machine – which he made his first loaf, Rosemary and Olive Oil, the next day.

2025 2nd Half Review…

Well, as usual, we didn’t get any posts in the last half of the year so we have to play catch-up in the spring. Nothing too exciting happened after our visitors left last year, but we did get some house projects completed – that will be another post though. The holiday season went by without any hiccups and this year we made it through the whole season without anyone getting sick… this was a major victory for us! Overall, we had a nice holiday season, Gung Gung was here through February so we got to spend some time with him as well. Everyone did work a lot of hours, 35-40 for everyone except Dad and he was the usual 50-60, but by February everything had calmed down and we were all starting to catch up on our rest. Below are some pictures throughout the back half of the year.

Sam bought a Honda 2021 CRV and he went on 3 dives during the summer – this was the most he has done in several years due to weather and/or poor visibility, so he was pretty excited. He has 2 more scheduled this year as well.

Alex bought a new Pit Boss grill before we moved, but we were never able to put it together because we didn’t really have the space. Since we added the grill patio last year we also had some extra space for his grill and he has practicing ever since.

Mom and Alex had birthday’s in August – Alex got some more grill supplies and Mom got a new fancy hose reel for the yard.

We had a full menu on Thanksgiving, but overall it was pretty relaxed as we all had to work long hours the next day. We did get to open a few early Christmas presents – a new inflatable for Dad and everyone got Advent Calendars from Nana.

We added a couple of small Christmas trees downstairs this year and the Christmas village grew even bigger as apparently more people moved to North Carolina last year.

We had our first significant snowfall in quite a few years in February, along with a couple of ice events were the roads were virtually impossible to drive on.

Sam’s very Early/Late Birthday present….

A few years ago, Sam expressed interest in going diving at the Georgia Aquarium (https://www.georgiaaquarium.org) and we were all set to go, but things came up and we couldn’t make it that year. Covid came and we kind of forgot about it after that, but this year we decided that now was a good time. Luckily everyone was willing to chip in for his present since it had gone up quite a bit since the last time we looked… Alex even chipped in and bought him the official dive video.

Of course, Sam’s birthday isn’t until June, but since hotels are quite a bit cheaper now and the crowds are obviously smaller with school still in session, it seemed like a great time to schedule the dive. So last week we took off for Atlanta – about a 6.5 hour trip from home… or at least it should have been. Traffic, thunderstorms, construction and several stops along the way delayed the trip a couple of hours both ways. We did, however, get to stop and see our first Buc-cee’s mega Gas Station/restaurant/destination location in Florence, SC. If you haven’t heard of Buc-cee’s – it’s kind of a big deal (https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/11/22/why-are-buccees-gas-stations-so-popular/71342752007/). They have over 100 gas pumps and it’s well known for it’s brisket, beef jerky and pulled pork sandwiches.

After leaving at 5:30am, we finally made it to Atlanta around 1:30pm and had about an hour to look around and see some of the exhibits. Sam’s dive lasted about 30 minutes in the water, but he had to get suited up and get some instructions from the dive master. While he was getting ready, Mom and Dad were given a behind the scenes tour that was pretty cool too – they got to see the wave machine and filters, the water testing rooms, and hospital for the animals. Eventually all the divers were in the water and the guides took the guests back into the aquarium to see them. We got a few good shots of Sam and took some additional video too. Overall, it was a great visit and something that none of us will soon forget.

After the dive, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Chick-fil-a and went back to the hotel to rest up for the return trip. The next day, we did make a quick pit stop at a Lowes, so Mom and Sam could look at the garden section (they ended bringing back several flowers) and then another quick pit stop at a local architectural salvage shop (https://www.architecturalaccents.com) before heading home and collapsing on the sofa.